


Possessions

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Recognition AU [5]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-24 15:50:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6158707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Court’s patience was wearing thin, and his pets’ lives hung in the balance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Possessions

**Author's Note:**

> Here. Another update for another AU y’all seem to like that I tend to go a hundred years between updating, with another story that doesn’t really include the main characters/theme. I don’t know. Good news is I have an ending for this AU. Bad news is none of you are gonna like it, and it’ll probably hurt you.

Dick leaned against the bars with his arms crossed, and stared into the ones across from him.

Damian was lying on the bed. Back against the wall, face cushioned against the elder boy’s thigh, arm draped across the stretched knees that boxed him into that corner. His eyes were barely open, and he must have been half-dozing. Looking like a cat as his brother gently stroked at his hair.

Timothy himself was wide awake, eyes sharp, hollows under his eyes dark, as he stared almost unblinkingly at Dick beyond his cage. His spine was straight against the back wall, face stoic, hard, even as he murmured gently to the child in his lap.

He looked furious. Ferocious. Deadly.

 _Wonderful_.

Dick grinned at him as he pushed away from his bars. Chuckled lightly when he saw those fingers stop petting Damian’s hair, when Tim’s whole body tensed. He waved as he spun away, leaving the dungeons behind completely.

William met him outside the door.

“The Court is not pleased.” He murmured. “And time has not healed the slight. If anything, they’re even _angrier_.”

“That’s fine.” Dick returned. “I can handle it. Go back to the cells, and watch the children. Make sure no one comes after them while I’m… _distracted_.”

William smirked. “Starting to care for them now, are we?”

“ _My_ toys. My captures, my responsibility. My _kills_ , if I so choose.” Dick reminded. He paused, though, and looked up the hall as a woman in a white mask appeared, glanced at them, then sauntered away towards the gallery entrance. “ _Not_ the Court’s. They made that clear enough when I brought them back. Therefore the children remain alive until _I_ say so, not _them_.”

William’s smirk suddenly deepened. He laughed a light chuckle. “You don’t remember anything. Do you, Richard?”

Dick just blinked. “What’s there to remember?” William continued to grin, and shook his head. “Then go. Otherwise, _I’ll_ go watch my things, and _you_ can meet with the Court in my stead.”

“With all due respect,” William raised his hands. “I’d rather deal with that little monster of a child.”

“His brother is much more entertaining today.” Dick quipped, over his shoulder, following the path of the woman in the mask. “Timmy’s itching for a fight, I can _tell_.”

William’s voice was low, gleeful, as, under the groan of the prison door, he murmured. _“Goodie.”_

Dick smiled slightly himself, as he walked towards the doors of the hall, opened them, and slowly walked inside.

The Court members were all in their places, in the gallery above, and there was a buzzing of whispers as he walked confidently to his spot in the center of the floor.

He stared up at them, and even with the blank white masks, he could tell they were all angry. Judging him. Looking _down_ on him.

“Well?” He snapped after a moment, and the gallery dropped into an immediate hush. “What did you summon me for?”

No one moved. No one spoke either. But after a pause, there was a loud, booming voice, and Dick didn’t know where it came from.

“The children are useless.” It explained. “There have been no attacks, no evidence of a search even being performed by either Batman’s other allies or the Justice League.”

Dick crossed his arms. Stared defiantly upwards. “So?”

“You overestimated their worth. Their _leverage_.” The voice hummed. “It’s time to cut our losses.”

Dick hesitated. Blinked. “No.”

The voice seemed exasperated. “There are other ways we can take down the Batman’s empire-”

“I said _no_.” Dick raised his voice, and that wave of voices returned, this time sounding surprised.

“…It is not your place to do so, Talon.”

Dick smirked, cocked his head to the side. “Said who?”

“Said the Court.” The voice roared. “And you will _obey_ , Talon, as is your _duty_ , or we will send you back to the coffin we so _graciously lifted you out of.”_

“Oh, do not act like you did me a favor.” Dick snapped. “And do not act like I don’t _know_. You dragged me off the streets of Gotham and wiped my memories before you threw me in that box.”

That murmur flared again.

“And, what, dear child.” The voice asked, almost sweetly. Like it was a parent and Dick, its son. “Is this some sort of… _tantrum_ to get those memories back?”

“Trust me, I don’t _want_ them.” Dick snorted. “I don’t _care_ about them. Or my old life. But you brought me into your organization to do a job, correct? So how can I do it if you will not _let_ me?”

“We are.” The voice countered. “But your duties as Talon have nothing to do with the children.”

“They have _everything_ to do with them.” Dick returned. “Because this is the best way to take down the Batman and all he stands for. This is the best way to _own_ Gotham. Those two boys are practically the keys to the city. I _know_ this.”

“You do not.” The Court scolded. “You played a hunch, Talon. You got _soft_. You got _weak_. We told you to eradicate the Wayne family, and instead you bring two of Wayne’s sons to us like they were _puppies_.”

“I _do_ know. It _will_ work.” Dick shouted. “You just have to give me time. To get into their brains. To _beat_ them into submission. Look at the little one, he is weakening to my methods day by day-”

“We’ve given you time.” The voice called loudly, coldly. “We’ve given you _plenty_ of time.”

“Then give me _more_.” Dick hissed viciously. _“I’m not done with them yet.”_

His voice echoed. There were no whispers.

But suddenly: “You have one more week. If their progress by then is not satisfactory, then the Court will deal with them ourselves.”

“You will _not_.” Dick demanded through gritted teeth. “They are _mine_. You will not _touch_ them. Not unless I _say_ you can.”

A pause, then softly. “Or you’ll what, Talon?”

“Or I’ll kill you.” Dick said simply, looking from mask to mask. “Every. Single. _One_ of you.”

“…Hm.” The voice sounded. Still no whispers, but Dick knew they were talking. “You are dismissed, Talon.”

Dick blinked in surprise. “…And the children?”

“Allowed to live another day.” The voice sighed in defeat. “For now.”

Dick didn’t push his luck. Bowed silently, then turned and walked from the room. Walked so quickly, he missed the exchange of:

“He’s becoming a problem. One we cannot afford to have.”

“I’m aware.” A pause, as the doors closed behind the Talon. “Do you think he remembers them?”

“No. I think to him, they are exactly what we said they were. They are his _pets_. _Not_ his brothers.”

A third: “His _project_. He wants to prove himself with these children. Show he is invested in _our_ cause, by giving us two more soldiers.”

“Of all the citizens of Gotham he could have chosen…” A sigh. “That is not the only problem, though.”

“What is the other?”

“He’s _arrogant_. He thinks he knows _better_ than us. He needs to be put in his place.”

“If _putting him in his place_ was an _option_ , we should have done it after he dragged those bastards here. We let him get away with that. Get away with trying to indoctrinate them. If anything his arrogance may be _our fault.”_

“Everything we invested into the Gray Son…” Another exhale. “This may just have to be another loss we have to cut.”

A pause.

A fourth: “How much time do we give him to redeem himself?”

“A week. The same as his _toys_.”

No, Dick didn’t hear any of that. Too busy literally kicking open the prison door when he reached it. William barely moved out of his lean against the bars.

“I told you.” William called lazily, as Dick stomped towards him. “I told you they were unhappy with you.”

“Shut up.” Dick snapped. “Maybe if you were a better teacher, _Grandfather_ , this wouldn’t have happened. I’d have just killed them in that ugly house and we’d have been over this.”

William rolled his eyes. “So, what did they say?”

“They’ve given us a week.” Dick looked into the cell. Damian was completely asleep now. Tim, as awake and unblinking as ever. Watching him stiffly. “A week to turn… _this_ into…into _something_.”

“And if you don’t?” William asked. “The penalty of death for them, I presume?”

Dick nodded. “It won’t happen.” He swore. “I won’t _let_ it.”

“No?” William laughed. “And what are you going to do if the time limit expires, fight the entire Court? For what? _These_ two mongrels?”

Dick was still staring at Tim, who’s face was slowly morphing from stone to curiosity.

“You told me you didn’t care about them, Richard.” William reminded. Dick’s eyes dropped to the child asleep, and narrowed. “Were you lying?”

Tim’s head cocked to the side, just slightly. As if he was waiting for the answer too.

When Dick glanced back up to meet Tim’s gaze, his eyes were cold. Emotionless. _Fierce_ , just like that night at Wayne Manor.

“It won’t happen.”

Dick spun away, then. Stomped out of the cells and disappeared back into the hall. William watched him go, smiling the whole way, before looking back at Tim and Damian.

Tim was still watching him, still had his head tilted to the side, still had his fingers twisted in Damian’s hair. “…Do you think all this is funny?”

William’s grin widened across his pale face. He popped away from the bars, and turned to follow after his grandson.

“It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever _seen_.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Other Recognition AU stories](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/tagged/recognition+au)   
> 


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